Women and girls are overwhelmingly more likely to be affected by modern slavery. What types of slavery are flourishing in the country, why is it so difficult to save a slave and what categories of citizens are at risk - in the new RTD film "Slavery: XXI Century". Only one Russian company has to date released a statement under the requirements of the Act: VTB Capital,88 from the diversified financials sector. ‘Russia ‘forced marriage’ reporter Milashina flees Chechnya’ 2015. Anonymous sources, acting from within the oligarch class of the Russian establishment, revealed the troubling reality of modern slavery in the Eurasian Federation. ... India, Indonesia, Japan, Mexico, Russia, South Africa, Saudi Arabia, … This statement has been approved by the board of directors of MHIE. Walk Free highlighted the “higher than previously understood” number of modern slaves living in rich countries. It is reported that individuals subject to compulsory labour will receive a salary.79 Starting in 2018, individuals who violate the regime of compulsory labour or try to evade it may also receive a higher penalty, such as a prison sentence.80, The Russian government did not draft a national action plan and failed to establish a body or similar measures to effectively coordinate the government’s response to modern slavery.81, Public procurement in Russia is primarily regulated by the Federal Law No. In fact, over 60 percent (corresponding to a value of US$ 3.8 billion) of all laptops, computers and mobile phones imported by Russia are from China, which is considered at risk of using modern slavery in the production of these goods. Publicly report statistics on the number of identified victims, investigations, prosecutions, and court outcomes related to modern slavery. “Trafficking in persons,” “human trafficking,” and “modern slavery” are used as umbrella terms to refer to both sex trafficking and compelled labor. 800,000 Modern-Day Slaves Are Living in Russia, Report Says Global Slavery Index survey data reveals that approximately 18 million people, 1.4 percent of India’s total population, are victims of modern-day slavery. A human trafficking ring which made £2m by exploiting hundreds of vulnerable victims has been dismantled following the UK’s largest modern slavery investigation. The ILO reports that 71 percent of modern-day slaves are female. several incidents of labor exploitation around stadium construction preceding Russia’s World Cup this summer. [4] > However, modern day slavery occurs around us every day. The statements analysed by the Modern Slavery Act Project were the most recently available statements at the time the research was conducted – in most cases, this would be the 2016 statement. “[E]ven in countries with seemingly strong laws and systems, there are critical gaps in protections for groups such as irregular migrants, the homeless, workers in the shadow or gig economy and certain minorities,” it said. Women and girls are disproportionately affected by modern slavery, 71 percent of the overall total, a study says. The law created a unified nationwide procurement system and established mandatory procedures for all federal, provincial and municipal government agencies.82 However, the procurement law does not contain any explicit policies or guidelines that prohibit the use of businesses suspected of using forced labour, or purchasing products that were made using forced labour.83, In 2016, the Walk Free Foundation and WikiRate84 partnered to develop a UK Modern Slavery Act Research project that would contribute to transparency on corporate action on modern slavery by enabling members of the public to view and assess modern slavery statements produced under Section 54 of the UK Modern Slavery Act.85 Section 54 requires businesses either headquartered or conducting business in the UK and with an annual turnover of over GBP36 million per annum to release an annual statement on the actions they are taking to respond to modern slavery.86 There are an estimated 12,000 to 17,000 statements that will be produced under this reporting requirement, many of which are housed on the Business and Human Rights Resource Centre (BHRRC) Modern Slavery Registry.87. Cattle from Brazil and Paraguay are the third largest import to Russia that may be produced using modern slavery (US$ 917.5 million). United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime 2016. The index documented several incidents of labor exploitation around stadium construction preceding Russia’s World Cup this summer. According to data from the Walk Free Foundation, Russia enteredthe top ten countries in terms of absolute number of slaves. It is also unclear if the statement has been approved by the board. She alleged abuses ranging from forced labour, passport confiscation, and beatings. Establish behaviour change programs targeting patriarchal attitudes that facilitate the sexual exploitation and forced marriage of women and girls. Implement raising awareness campaigns to highlight the discrimination that LGBTQI individuals face and arrest perpetrators of violence against LGBTBQI groups. Hodal, K 2017, ‘Slave saviours: the men risking their lives to free brick workers in Dagestan’. For a detailed methodology of how these products were identified, please refer to Appendix 3 in the 2018 GSI report. Italy imports cocoa from Côte d’Ivoire and Ghana at a value of US$227million. Additionally, foreign women from Europe (mainly Ukraine and Moldova), Southeast Asia (primarily Vietnam), Africa (mainly Nigeria), and Central Asia fall victim to sex trafficking within Russia.30 There are reports of Nigerian women and girls being trafficked to Russia on student visas and subsequently forced into sex work to repay their alleged “debts” for visa and travel costs. June 13, 2020. Fish imports from China make up the by far largest share of these fish imports (nearly US$ 178 million). There have been reports of Russian government officials facilitating trafficking and entry of trafficking victims into Russia.53 Some employers reportedly bribe Russian officials to avoid penalties imposed on them for employing irregular migrants.54 There are also suspicions that officials charge migrant workers who enter the country excessive fees for work permits.55, There are strongly patriarchal views of marriage in some of Russia’s republics in the North Caucasus, such as Dagestan and Chechnya.56 These views are reinforced by cultural traditions and religious views that do not respect women’s rights. Appoint a national coordination body to enable effective coordination and monitoring of measures to combat modern slavery and charge it with national and international reporting responsibility. Oleg Melnikov, the leader of the Alternative, a youth anti-slave labor movement, is dressed like a homeless person, a look targeted by Russia’s modern slave traders. Internal migrants from Russia’s poorer regions and migrants from the former Soviet satellite states are reportedly trafficked (sometimes involving drugging and kidnapping) and then forced to work against their will in brick factories and small farms in the North Caucasus republic of Dagestan.11 This involves unscrupulous recruiters who target migrants at train stations in major Russian cities. Balforth, T 2013, ‘Russia’s Migrant-Worker Underclass’. While the use of slave labour is criminalised under article 127.2 and article 127.1 mentions slave labour as a type of exploitation as part of the crime of human trafficking, the act of slavery itself is not distinctly criminalised.58 Articles 240 and 241 address recruitment into sex work and pimping.59 In relation to the alleged exploitation of migrant workers from North Korea on the construction site for the St Petersburg stadium for the 2018 S… Russia imports 85 percent of its sugarcane from Brazil, totalling US$ 321.8 million in value. Once in Russia these individuals faced physical abuse, withholding of documents, and unsafe working conditions.43 In recent years, the rouble has been devalued amid the contraction of the Russian economy due to low crude oil prices and western sanctions in response to Russia’s annexation of Crimea and involvement in Eastern Ukraine.44 In light of this and increasingly negative public and government attitudes towards migrants from Central Asia45 – combined with more restrictive migration policies aimed at Tajik, Belarusian, Kazak, and Armenian citizens46 – more migrants from Central Asia are entering Russia irregularly and thereby are more vulnerable to exploitation.47 Patterns exist where irregular migrants, due to their undocumented status, are willing to accept jobs without knowing exactly the nature and conditions of the work they are committing to. Outside of Uzbekistan, citizens are subjected to forced labor in the construction, oil and gas, agriculture, retail, and hospitality sectors, mostly in Kazakhstan, Turkey, Russia, the United Arab … Therefore, there are concerns that prisoners are forced to work for private companies against their will.19 In addition, Russian law allows for compulsory labour to be imposed as a punishment for various activities, including the expression of political or ideological views which are deemed to be ‘extremist’. All statements analysed by the project can be found on the relevant business page at https://wikirate.org/UK_Modern_Slavery_Act_Research. Rules practiced in these regions contradict rights set out in the Russian Constitution and may contribute to women’s vulnerability to forced marriage in these areas.57, Russia has criminalised human trafficking in article 127.1 of the criminal code. These facilities have lower security than prisons and allow convicted criminals to leave with permission from authorities. Modern Slavery. Women and girls make up more than seven in 10 of the world’s modern slavery victims, with nearly 30 million female victims worldwide, major new research shows. The highest value at-risk products that may be produced using modern slavery and imported by Russia are laptops, computers, and mobile phones, and apparel. For example, the Global Slavery Index recently estimated that 794,000 people in Russia in 2016 were living in conditions that they defined as modern slavery. For example, in 2017, brutal campaigns against gay men in Chechnya reportedly led to abduction, forced disappearances, torture, and deaths by authorities.40. A new report has accused China of forcing hundreds of thousands of Uyghur Muslims to pick cotton in the Xinjiang province. International Labour Organization Committee of Experts 2017. The remaining 29 percent are male. See https://www.vtbcapital.com/about/information-disclosure/modern-slavery-act-2015/ for more details. Tumanov, G 2016, ‘Moscow agrees to repatriate illegal North Korean immigrants’. By making corporate responsibility data accessible, comparable and free for all, the organisation aims to provide society with the tools it needs to encourage companies to respond to social and environmental challenges. Modern slavery is a destructive, personal crime and an abuse of human rights. Chizhova, L & Kurachyova, O 2013, ‘Behind Russia’s Migrant Raids, a Vast Network of Bribes and Opportunism’.. Vityazeva, A 2015, ‘Women’s rights squeezed in North Caucasus amid revival of Muslim traditions’. The data is taken from the BACI 2015 dataset (available from: http://www.cepii.fr/cepii/en/bdd_modele/presentation.asp?id=1). 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